The good ol' days

writing forward into new ways with Substack

So here’s something new. Substack.

In almost 11 years of writing on the internet, the things that have frustrated me most have been technical issues: formatting, publishing, sharing, and blog design. The best things have been the connections with readers and other writers, as well as the traceable refinement of my thoughts and my ability to express them. I want to be ever-learning and growing, but I don’t want to spend my time learning web design.

I miss the good ol’ days of blogging, where it felt like connecting was easier and camaraderie was the norm. I miss reading articles recommended on the blogs of writers I followed. I miss the comments.

I do not miss the wonky fonts, bad photos, broken links, and hours upon hours spent sprucing up my own blog—things that kept me from the actual work of writing I wanted to do. I don’t miss the rabbit hole of shiny new blog themes and domain hosts and blogging platforms.

But here I am, chasing something new. Substack promises (from my viewpoint, not necessarily their marketing) a new and improved way to write online, something akin to the good ol’ days but with current aesthetics. I like it. I like the way it feels like the beginning, the way you can rally around other writers and find new thinkers on subjects you care about. And I like that it’s all housed in one app, if you choose to download it. It’s like Blogger or ProBlogger or BlogHer or any of the other websites I no longer remember the name of.

Am I breaking my own narrative of simplicity and narrowed options? I don’t know, don’t mind, and don’t think so. I am always willing to grow and adapt, so I view the switch to Substack as just that.

I hope it will be easy for you, reader-friend. I’ve imported the subscribers from my website to Substack so you should get posts in your inbox, as before, but if you want to go in peace you can unsubscribe here any time.

If you choose to stay, I hope this will be a place where we can connect and grow together. I have a few essays in mind and a renewed sense of keeping it simple, writing in the old ways, and writing forward into new ways. God-willing, I have another 11 years of writing on the internet to stretch into.

(What about my website? I don’t know. I will keep it around for now—I definitely do not want to lose all those years of writing, as humbling as some of that old stuff is. Do I import them all here? Keep paying for the website so as not to lose it? I’m just making a change without fully knowing the ins and outs…as one does. If you have insight, let me know.)